Apple HomePod Review: Great Sound, but Siri Limits It
Apple's $350 HomePod has finally arrived, marking the company's first foray into the "smart speaker" market with a device that is more speaker than smart. This small, sleek device, clearly designed by Apple, is intended to provide high-quality sound and act as a gateway to Siri, Apple's personal assistant. Despite its high price, it is a very nice device, but it has numerous flaws.
Is it worth it to invest in a HomePod? Is the cost justified? Read on for our complete review of Apple's HomePod speaker, which will help you decide whether it's worth purchasing for your home.
The HomePod speaker
This small speaker has a mesh cloth cover and resembles an elongated cantaloupe. The device is unobtrusive and looks less techie than Amazon or Google's offerings, and comes in space grey or white (really a light grey) with an anesthetic that matches a lot of small speakers. It's only 172 mm (6.8 in) tall, but it's a heavy device at 2.5 kg (5.5 lbs). It will, however, blend in nicely with any Ikea living room furniture, as it is both modern and understated. And once it's on a shelf, you're unlikely to notice it.
The Apple HomePod is easy to set up.
Setup is easy, as it is with most Apple products. Simply hold an iOS device with the Home app — iPhone 5s or later, iPad 5th gen / iPad Air or later, or iPod touch 6th gen — and a card appears on the screen, guiding you through the setup. The HomePod is paired with the device that sets it up, and its functionality is reduced if that device is not present on the network. You can change the HomePod's settings later in the Home app on the device that set it up.
If you have an Apple Music subscription or use iTunes Match or iTunes Match, you'll be able to play music using Siri voice control; otherwise, you'll only be able to play music from a device that supports AirPlay. Siri cannot play Spotify or other streaming services, but you can stream Spotify from your iPhone or stream anything from your Mac to the HomePod.
Try saying, "Hey Siri, play some music," once it's up and running. This starts with your personal radio station, which will play a mix of your favorite songs. Then you can tell Siri to "Pause," "Play," "Increase the volume," "Lower the volume," and other commands. Asking Siri who is playing a certain instrument on a recording, when an album was recorded, or even who produced it is something I find impressive. It isn't always correct — it once told me that Miles Davis was playing bass on Bitches Brew when he was actually playing trumpet — but it is often extremely useful.
Learn everything there is to know about the HomePod.
How does the HomePod sound?
After all, it's a speaker, so sound is probably the most important feature for most people. The audio component of this speaker has some intelligence built-in, allowing it to calibrate itself based on where it's being used. It has a set of six microphones that use digital signal processing to adjust its eight amplified speakers (one woofer at the top of the HomePod and seven tweeters in a circle around the bottom) based on feedback from the room and its surroundings (DSP). This allows the HomePod to produce consistent sound regardless of its location, whether it's in a living room with couches, carpets, and curtains or a kitchen with hard surfaces.
The sound of the HomePod is full and rich, and it projects well and fills even large rooms. The issue is that it only has one sound color, and it is bassy. I listened to a wide range of music, and while some of it is excellent, the majority of it is mediocre. The HomePod is like a pair of Beats headphones in a standalone speaker: the sound is bassy, designed to complement music like hip-hop, top-40 pop, and EDM, but it can sound muddy and flat with other types of music. If you stream from iTunes or an iOS device, you can get around this. Select the Bass Reducer or Vocal Booster setting on the Equalizer.
On iOS, you're limited to a few presets, but you can do a lot more with the Equalizer in iTunes. When used with the HomePod, this EQ removes a lot of annoying basses, but it also highlights the device's other flaw: a lack of convincing mid-range. The low and high ends of the spectrum are fine, but the music in the middle — around the vocals, guitar, and piano — can sound thin or muddled. To be fair, this isn't a stereo system, but for $350, I was hoping for a little more.
What about Siri?
The smart speaker's "smart" features are somewhat limited. Because it can't distinguish between multiple voices, only the person who set it up has full access to all of its features. Unlike Siri on an iPhone, which can give you all kinds of information, it can't check your calendar and can only answer "general knowledge" questions. Essentially, Siri on the HomePod is primarily used to control music and to inquire about the time and weather. You can also use your iCloud account to send messages, set reminders, and add notes.
Siri can play music, podcasts, or audiobooks from your purchases, iCloud Music Library, or Apple Music, as well as provide you with the news. If you have smart home devices connected to Apple's Home app, you can also use it to control your home.
The true magic of Siri on the HomePod, however, is its ability to hear you say "Hey Siri" even when the music is blasting and you're on the other side of the room. As it waits for your instructions, the device's top lights up and the sound fades.
The HomePod and privacy
One thing to think about is whether or not the HomePod poses a privacy threat. Someone could gain access to your network and listen in, just like any other device that listens to you at home. You can disable Siri if you don't want to use it. Find the HomePod in the Home app and press and hold its icon. To see the device's various settings, tap Details.
You can disable “Hey Siri” in the Siri section; if you do, you can activate Siri by touching and holding the HomePod's top. If you don't want to use Siri at all, you can turn it off. You can also disable Location Services, which allows Siri to provide content based on your location.
Is Apple HomePod worth the price?
A standalone speaker costs $350, which is a hefty sum. There are plenty of speakers for that price or more that sound better and aren't hampered by Apple's DSP. Apple will eventually offer the option to combine two of these speakers to create a stereo pair — the HomePod, despite its multiple tweeters, is essentially mono — but for that price, you could get a decent amplifier and speakers and get much better sound. Of course, the HomePod is small and includes Siri, but given the latter's limitations, it's not really worth it to buy the device just to talk to it.
The first iteration, like many Apple products, is merely a trial balloon. I anticipate Apple making changes to this device, including the addition of EQ settings, enhancements to Siri's capabilities, and more. The HomePod is for you if you want a smart-looking speaker but don't need full Siri functionality and are satisfied with its sound signature.
How can I find out more information?
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